Rick Joyner Drills Down on Presidential Candidates

During his program Monday, MorningStar Ministries President Rick Joyner said he’s concerned about the process being used to select our elected leaders and what kind of leadership we have gotten as a result.

He also took time to delve into the remaining presidential candidates. During his opening segment, Joyner said the most important issue in the race has changed substantially in the past three months.

“Two, three months ago, the number one issue on the top of everyone’s minds was terrorism,” he said. “Now, it’s already dropped down to number three on most people’s lists.”

Having his finger on the pulse of what Americans think is important is what has boosted the candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, he added. He noted there is a great deal of concern remaining over the southern border, too.

“They want the good guys to still be able to get in, and Trump will address that,” he said. “We’re going to have a big, beautiful door, but they’re going to come through it legally. So that really boosted his candidacy right off the bat.”

But Trump has also offended people by the way he addressed some of these issues. He has spoken clumsily, at best.

Joyner said he wasn’t defending Trump—he could do that for himself—but that he was in pursuit of the truth. He said he’s still “50-50” on his choice between Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

“I like Cruz and Trump about equally,” he said. “I think both of them have great qualities. They also have some serious challenges, both of them.”

Joyner said he thinks Cruz is a sincere Christian, and tries to live well. He also thinks the senator has “stumbled some” in the campaign, saying things about his opponents that weren’t entirely true, but very easily could have “done it honestly” as a result of the process that focuses almost solely on the candidates’ negative qualities.

“It’s a good test to see how they handle this, but many of the great leaders in history—war-time leaders—they didn’t have anything left when the war was over,” he said. “They were pretty expended. It’s no easy matter to lead through crisis situations. I just pray that these guys, whoever gets there, whoever gets the office, has something left to lead our nation with.”

Joyner said the current campaign has brought a toll upon the candidates that is physically evident just since they started their campaigns last year. He likewise thinks both political parties are “just about as broken as the federal government.”

“I’m not looking for my hope to come out of Washington, but I’m trying to be responsible as a Christian to be the salt and light I am called to be, and to be engaged in the important issues of our times,” he said. “I want to be, but I am really concerned about the kinds of leaders the present process puts forward. Are these the ones that should be leading the most powerful nation on earth?”

He added that one of the challenges is the fact that so many voters engaged in the process can only see the good about their candidate, and have difficulty seeing any of the challenges they have. He wondered aloud how that could be.

“You weight them. Are the good good enough to outweigh the bad?” he said. “Because all of them have both negatives and positives. I would like to see a generation raised up that could really think, that could evaluate and judge these things and not get emotional about it.”

As far as the “other side”—the Democrats—go, they aren’t an option. With Hillary Clinton, Joyner said her carelessness with national security, among many other issues, is the deciding factor for him.

“I think it’s revealing just how corrupt our government has become. We have a double standard,” he said. “If you’re wealthy, powerful or politically powerful, you have a different system of justice here. That’s the truth. That’s how far things have fallen. I think the fact that Hillary hasn’t already been indicted is proof of that.”

While he said he appreciates U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ likeability, he’s gravely concerned with his socialist aims. He did, however, find the senator’s honesty about those aims to be “refreshing,” particularly from someone coming out of Washington.

“A lot kids really don’t understand what socialism is,” he added. “These are some pretty bizarre things that are being proposed by both Hillary and Bernie, giving everybody everything for free. Well, somebody’s got to pay for it.”

Joyner said the added debt created by either Democrat would be “crushing” on the nation’s economy, noting the largest part of the current federal budget is paying just the interest on the nation’s existing debt. Adding to that debt would be “unbelievably devastating.”

“It sounds great, but how are we going to do it? Nobody covers that part,” he said. “But a lot of people are going to vote who haven’t thought that deeply … not understanding there are economic physics, there are consequences for things like that.”

Ultimately, Joyner said America is in “such desperate need” for what he says would be the greatest leader it has ever seen. He said such a leader would have to be the “wisest, greatest” leader the nation has ever had.

“We need someone who is like Lincoln, Washington, Moses, and the Apostle Paul, all put together,” he said. “The only way we can have one better than that is by turning to the Lord. Return to Him. Seek His wisdom. Seek His counsel. Seek His ways. When you turn to the Lord, He does turn to us. It says if you seek Him, you will find Him. “